The night The Pub burned down in Jackson

Forty years is probably enough lag time to explore rumors about a fire. Does anyone know anything about the fire that destroyed The Pub bar at 1129 Greenwood Ave.?

Empyrean recently left an interesting post on the Cit Pat site recounting in great detail what he (you are a he, right Empyrean?) called fact, opinion and hearsay about the fire.

Basically Empyrean said The Pub was a trouble spot for police and, at least according to rumor, the cops were involved in torching the place. You can read his entire post by clicking here. Scroll down past the story to find his comment, which has nothing to do with oral sex.

To my surprise, Empyrean mentioned my name as someone who disputes his story.

The Pub burned down 15 years before I moved to Jackson, so I have no memory of the fire. Before Empyrean, I never heard any rumors of police involvement, but arriving 15 years after the fact is not the best time to pick up rumors.

I do know a few of Empyrean's details are wrong. For example, he said the fire was in 1968 but it was really 1970. But that does not prove he is wrong on the main point.

The Cit Pat reported that the fire inspector said a faulty neon sign was believed to have caused the fire. Take that for what it is worth. Anyone who believes police were involved in arson would certainly also expect a cover-up to follow.

Appreciating the arts: Warning! Do not click the following video link unless your doctor says you can handle almost 10 minutes of old-school, sweat-drenched funk. And happy Friday.